Bride and Prejudice the parade continues
by ramacel
Summary: Bride and Prejudice, following the wedding ceremony towards the D.N. Hotel Being from the same background as Lalitha, I wrote this to explain some things that should have been plaguing Will's thoughts has he and Lalitha draw closer to consummating their marriage on the wedding night.
1. Chapter 1

…Bride and Prejudice, following the wedding ceremony towards the D.N. Hotel

Being from the same background as Lalitha, I wrote this to explain some things that should have been plaguing Will's thoughts has he and Lalitha draw closer to

consummating their marriage on the wedding night. 

* * *

At this particular moment in his life, William Darcy, felt such contentment and happiness as he sat in the carriage, on the beautifully adorned elephant, next to his new wife,

Lalitha Bakshi; no; Lalitha Darcy, as the parade traversed towards their final destination and the conclusion of the 3 day engagement and double wedding ceremony. The

journey was even more pleasurable because he was finally able to enfold his new wife within his embrace, while managing to dampen the intensity of his obvious passion for

her, and exhibited the correct degree of affection, in his embrace, that would not violate the Indian custom of not displaying too much affection in public even at one's own

wedding ceremony.

The delight of finally holding Lalitha in his arms was clearly displayed on his face, and his intimate stroking of his fingers along her beautifully decorated arms, was quite

apparent to the parade watchers, as well is the tightening of his arm that encircled her waist as she sat in front of him upon the elephant carriage. His thoughts were

pleasantly engaged with knowing that in the next hour he would finally be alone with Lalitha and have the opportunity to properly display his affection for her.

During his reverie, he felt the pressure of Lalitha's back on his chest as she leaned back, and as she turned her face into his chest, she placed a quick kiss on his chin as he

bent his head to draw her closer into his embrace. That was a bold gesture for his new wife; to display an intimate action during the very public parade when they, and Jaya

and Bulraj, were the center of attention. He then heard her slightly inaudible "Thank You Will" as she turned her face forward towards our well-wishers as the parade

continued towards the D.N. Hotel. Then it dawned on him, that she understood, the challenges he had to undertake, the things he had to learn, and the actions he had to

partake in for their traditional Indian engagement and wedding ceremony. She loved him all the more for bearing it so enthusiastically and with a genuine display of pleasure.

He was even more eager now to be alone with Lalitha, so that he could properly kiss her tantalizing lips, with the knowledge that he was and would be the only man to kiss

her and touch her in the most intimate manner.

That mental image brought with it another nagging thought. Lalitha had never been with another man nor had any experience, nor maybe even advice, about how she would

manage the wedding night. She was most definitely a virgin, and with his limited experience with virgins, there would be some degree of pain during sexual intercourse. Why

hadn't he thought about this before when he could have discussed this concern with Balraj? Balraj would know how to manage Jaya's first sexual experience and he could

have gained some insights without making their discussion too embarrassing.

Here again was another demonstration of his ignorance of his wife's culture and his thoughtlessness about how her first sexual experience would affect her, even though he

knew that Lalitha loved him, as he did her, to distraction. Making sure Lalitha was as ease and comfortable with him, during their wedding night was now plaguing Will's

thoughts. What was the usual Indian custom in preparing women for their nuptials and consummation of the marriage wows during the wedding night? Did Laltha's mother

speak to her about the wedding night

He remembered Lalitha's mother comments months ago, during a dinner party at the Bakshi residence, to Balraj about Balraj not having any complaints on the wedding.

What did she mean by that comment? Was it simply about confirming proof that Jaya was a virgin? Will knew that the Indian custom required virginity of all highly sought

after marriageable women, and the wedding night would require some instruction by the mothers of these women. Had Lalitha's mother had the wedding night conversation

with Lalitha? But Will then remembered that Lalitha was not very close to her mother, rather, she spent more time in companionship with the father. Surely the wedding

night talk was not a conversation that Lalitha's father would have with her, because it would not occur to him, that his intelligent Lalitha would not have done her "wedding

night homework."

Will's thoughts finally settled on one course for action for his wedding night with Lalitha, he would be forth right, and he would ask her directly if she was comfortable with the

knowledge that "making love" for the first time could be painful. If she was comfortable, what could he do to put her at ease, and was there anything in particular that she

needed to help her relax so she could enjoy her first sexual experience, in spite of the initial pain that she would experience.


	2. Chapter 2

Getting off the elephant

Will's mental debate came to abrupt halt has the wedding parade halted near the entrance of the D.N.

Hotel. Jaya and Balraj's wedding carriage, which preceded Lalitha and his carriage, had already stopped

at the entrance of the hotel. Will was not quite sure what actions were required and should be taken

for dismounting the wedding carriage considering that both couples were at quite a height astride the

elephant. He watched with great attention as the hotel porters placed a ladder next to Jaya and Balraj's

carriage and saw Balraj dismount the carriage by climbing down the ladder.

After climbing down from the carriage, Balraj very carefully turned towards the carriage and beckoned

Jaya to move forward towards the ladder and gently reached up to assist her with her decent down the

ladder. Before Jaya reached the bottom rung of the ladder, Balraj reached forward and gathered her

towards him by placing one hand around her back and the under her knees. He then turned towards

the hotel entrance and carried her through the doors.

Will felt a sense of relief after watching Jaya and Balraj dismount the wedding carriage. He was quite

sure he could perform the same actions and would not embarrass himself nor Lalitha in the process

without any hindrance from his wedding attire.

After the disaster with the wedding attire Will had worn, when he first met Lalitha at Balraj's friend's

wedding, he had taken great pains to learn how to wear a Khurta, and specifically, how to tie the draw

string pants so that it did not loosen and fall to his ankles.

During the 3 day engagement period before the wedding, Will had sought out and spent many hours

with Mr. Bakshi. Will wanted to put Mr. Bakshi's mind at ease about his marriage to Lalitha, and he

wanted Mr. Bakshi to get to know and understand him. On many of these visits, Mr. Bakshi had taken

specific interest in teaching Will about Indian customs and traditions, and, he specifically described the

wedding ritual and what was required of the groom.

Mr. Bakshi had heard about Will's clothing malfunction during their initial introduction at Balraj's

friend's wedding, and, during Will's visits, Mr. Bakshi spent time teaching Will how to tie and secure the

draw stings pants from the groom's wedding attire.

Will and Lalitha's carriage came to a stop at the entrance of the hotel, and, following the same actions

performed by Balraj, Will climbed onto the ladder, that was placed next to the elephant by the hotel

porter, and descended from the wedding carriage with as much grace as Balraj had displayed. Will then

turned towards the wedding carriage and reached forward to assist Lalitha has she climbed down the

ladder. Before Lalitha could reached the bottom rung on the ladder, Will gathered her to him, placing

one hand around her back and the other hand under her knees and lifted her in his arms as he held her

tightly against his chest. He felt, rather than saw, Lalitha lift her arms and wrap her arms around his

neck as she leaned closer toward him. Lalitha's face was so close to his, and, if he bent his head slightly,

he could brush his lips against hers.

It took every ounce of his restrain not to bend his head, and instead, he focused his attention on the

hotel entrance as he gracefully turned and entered the double door of the hotel with Lalitha in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

Hotel Room

As Will entered the hotel lobby carrying Lalitha in his arms, he saw that Jaya was now standing next to Balraj and the couple was being greeted by the hotel staff with the traditional Indian flower garland and 'tikka' applied on the guest's forehead. Will followed suit and slowly released Lalitha from his arms by removing his arm from under Lalitha's knees and gently set her upon her feet. Will slowly released his arm from Lalitha's back and reluctantly drew it away from Lalitha's body. While doing so, Will trailed his fingers on the exposed skin of Lalitha's midriff, which was left exposed by the traditional wedding garment worn by Lalitha. She wore a well-fitted choli (blouse), falling just below her breasts, a rich embroidered lehenga (skirt) sitting upon her hips leaving a fair amount of Lalitha's midriff uncovered, and a flowing dupatta (veil) covering her head.

A slight gasp escaped from Lalitha's lips as she turned towards Will and raised her eyes towards his face. Will's gaze rested on Lalitha's eyes as he watched her pupils dilated, her tongue slowly crept out of her mouth and across her lips as she moistened her lips. Will's eyes were transfixed on Lalitha's lips. He no longer saw or heard anyone around them as he felt himself leaning towards Lalitha to place his lips upon her moistened mouth.

Will was startled out of his actions by the feel of Lalitha's hand upon his chest as she gently pushed him away from her. He saw the slight shake of her head indicating to him that his thoughts and almost actions were not appropriate in the hotel lobby. (During their brief engagement period, Lalitha had given Will a litany of dos and don'ts, of appropriate behavior, between couples in the public venues.)

Will understood her actions and took a step away from Lalitha and clasped his hands behind his back. Then Will and Lalitha moved in unison towards the hotel lobby where the staff were waiting to officially welcomed them with the traditional Indian flower garland and 'tikka' applied on their foreheads.

When the welcoming ceremony was completed, both newly wedded couples, Jaya and Balraj and Lalitha and Will, were ushered into the waiting elevator to be taken to their respective hotel chambers. While the D.N. Hotel was one of the best hotels in Amritsar, the hotel only had one bridal suite.

During the hurried preparations for their double wedding, Balraj and Will had discussed who should occupy the bridal suite for their wedding night. Since Will was thrust into the Indian culture with very little time to learn the customs, traditions, behaviors, and ceremonies, Balraj felt Will should be rewarded for his efforts, and he presented the bridal suite to Will for his and Lalitha's wedding night. Moreover, if Will managed through the wedding ceremony, specifically riding in the elephant carriage, the luxury of the bridal suite would erase any discomfort Will might have experienced during the ride.

When the hotel elevator arrived at its first destination, and the doors opened, Balraj and Jaya stepped out of the elevator, turned to face Will and Lalitha, wished them a happy evening, and told them that they would meet in the morning. Two of the hotel staff members followed Jaya and Balraj out of the elevator and the elevator doors closed again. Two hotel staff members remained with Lalitha and Will as the elevator ascended to the top most floor of the hotel, the bridal suite.

The elevator finally reached its destination, the doors slid open, and there in front of Lalitha and Will was a set of double doors left slightly ajar. Will and Lalitha stepped out of the elevator and the two remaining hotel staff members followed them out of the elevator. As Lalitha and Will walked towards the doors of the bridal suite, the two hotel staff members increased their pace and reached past Will to open the doors wider to beacon Lalitha and Will inside.

Instinctually, without giving any thought to his possibly violating Indian customs, Will placed is arms around Lalitha and lifted her off the floor, and held her close to his chest, as he carried her over the threshold into the bridal suite, the two hotel staff members beamed with delight. Upon entering the bridal suite with Lalitha in his arms, Will gently released her so that she could stand. Because he was still holding Lalitha close to his chest, Will felt the pressure of Lalitha's body movements on his body as she gained her footing and stood next to him. The pressure of her soft skin on his body, the intoxicating aroma of henna, the sweetness of her jasmine perfume, the tinkling sounds of her anklets and bangles, and her inaudible "thank you" were nearly his undoing. He was lost in the scent that was only Lalitha and he desperately wanted to carry her into the bedroom and ignite her passion and make exquisitely gentle love to her.


	4. Chapter 4

Special traditional kesar badam (saffron and almond) milk for the wedding Night

The clapping by the hotel staff members jarred Will out of his daydream and he slowly removed his arm from Lalitha's body. One of the hotel staff members spoke to Lalitha in Hindi and Lalitha responded by clasping Will's hand and urging him to follow her. Will ascertained from the staff member's gestures and actions that he was providing a tour of the bridal suite and its amenities. Well, Will thought to himself that is one way to get to the bedroom. For Will, the tour was actually quite illuminating because there were many amenities in the bridal suite that were extremely luxurious and very unique to Indian culture. The living room contained a sunken area with a steps leading down to a plush carpeted floor and was filled with huge pillows of various colors and sizes. Next was the dining room where the dining table was elegantly arranged for two with various Indian delicacies, snacks, sweets, champagne, and wines. Then there was the bathroom which was massive and contained a hot-tub with super-jets, and a glass enclosed shower with showerheads mounted on all four walls at various heights. The bathroom also had a steam-room and sauna.

Finally Will entered the bedroom, which was decorated with heavily fragrant, fresh flowers. Will had read that it is believed that the sweet, natural fragrance of the flowers created a romantic mood for the newlyweds. Will smiled to himself as he thought about how romance was definitely something, that he and Lalitha had plenty of, and how it had grown exponentially in such a short time. The staff member was now leading the way back to the bridal suite lobby, and, he and the second staff member, turned around and gave the traditional Indian farewell bow, with hands claps together in front, to Lalitha and him.

As the bridal suite door was closed behind the departing staff members, Will turned deliberately around and walked slowly towards Lalitha. He stared intently at her face as he continued his short journey towards her. Lalitha was also staring at him intently and then his eyes lowered to her lips he noticed the slight trembling of her lips. Was she afraid of the inevitable intimacy that he wanted so desperately to share with her? Will's passion and desire was apparent as he drew closer to Lalitha, and his breathing increased and intensified. But the trembling of Lalitha's lips had changed Will's desire to protectiveness. Lalitha's trembling lips had resurrected a protective response within him and he felt an urgent need to comfort Lalitha.

As Will reached Lalitha, he very gently drew her into his arms and wrapped his arms around her, to enfold her in his arms. He murmured softly into her jasmine fragrant hair, "Lalitha I love so much and I cannot express the depths of my happiness that you consented to be my wife. But, please know that we have our entire lives to learn about each other and we do not have to do anything tonight that makes you uncomfortable or nervous." Will continued softly, "I realize that we are from different backgrounds and there are things that you have not experienced, and your knowledge about what to do or want to do tonight is not important to me. There is nothing that we have to do or prove to anyone." "Talk to me baby. Tell what you are thinking. Please don't ever feel shy or embarrassed about telling me what you are feeling."

Lalitha raised her head and looked into Will's eyes. Will saw the tears brimming in her eyes and felt his heart constrict. What had he done now or said to bring tears to Lalitha's eyes? "Lalitha what is wrong? What did I do to make you cry? With the tears slowly over-flowing from her eyes, Lalitha raised her head further and placed her lips on Will's chin. Then Will heard Lalitha murmur, "You have done nothing wrong; instead, you have said everything right." "It is true that I'm inexperienced with these matter nor what you want or expect tonight. I want us to really talk about what you want and need from me and to be patient if my actions and responses don't fulfill your expectations. "What I want is for us to really talk about how we begin to share this intimacy between us. About the resulting consequences of our intimacy." Will stared at Lalitha in amazement. This was exactly the conversation he had planned to have with Lalitha when they were finally alone together. At least that had been his intention, but, those plans had vanished from his thoughts once he had experienced the pleasure of trailing his fingers on Lalitha's exposed midriff in the hotel lobby.

Will gently wiped the tears from Lalitha's eyes with the tips of his fingers and bent forward to place his forehead against her forehead. Then he whispered, "Let's talk baby. There is a wonderful meal in the dining that is beaconing, and, I am starving." Lalitha nodded her head in acquiescence as her tears dissipated and slight smile began to form on her mouth. As Will raised his head, he could see that Lalitha's facial expression were more relaxed, and he gently put his arm around her shoulders and drew her towards the dining room.

Will released Lalitha from his embrace as they reached the dining table, and he pulled out a chair at the dining table and he invited her to take a seat. Lalitha appeared as if she was gliding towards the chair still adorned in her wedding attire. As she moved forward, her skirt floated around her and he heard the tinkling of her anklets (payal) with each movement. Will sat in the seat directly across the table from Lalitha. The dining table was laden with all types of Indian delicacies.

Among the various food dishes, there was several types of vine as well as champagne. But, Will's attention was drawn to a silver flask in the center of the table, that was covered with jasmine flowers, with a small card lying next to it with the words "for Lalitha" written on the card. While Lalitha's attention was happily focused on the vast array of sweets from mango burfi topped with pistachio, to pedas, to warm syrupy goodness of gulab jamun, to large batches crispy jalebi, to Rasmalai the creamy sweet delight, to kaju katli a sweet but not overwhelmingly treat, to Kheer the sweet rice noodles soaked with cardamom, milk, and sugar bring much needed calm.

Lalitha's attention settled on tasting the Kheer, meanwhile, Will's curiosity was piqued by the contents of the sliver flask which he picked up to determine its contents before he would consider giving it to Lalitha. Will unscrewed the top of the flask and brought the flask near his nose to sniff its contents. The liquid had a pleasant rosewater aroma.

Will had seen many women drink various aromatic sweet creamy non-alcoholic brews and beverages during the 3 day engagement ceremony. It was likely a similar non-alcoholic concoction meant for the bride. Will extended the silver flask, across the dining table and offered it to Lalitha, "Lalitha do you know what this is? It has a very pleasant aroma, and according to this card, it is meant for you." Lalitha took the flask from Will and sniffed the contents. Lalitha then responded, "Oh my, that is kesar badam a traditional saffron and almond milk drink which helps relax the bride for the wedding night and is often considered an aphrodisiac. Will smiled hesitantly and said, "Don't worry about the aphrodisiac part; but I'm glad it is meant for you to relax.

Lalitha gave Will a shy smile and poured the creamy fragrant liquid into one of the many glasses arranged on the dining table. She slowly sipped the milky liquid as Will watched her with slight concern on his face. "Mmmmm, this is really good Lalitha acclaimed. It tastes like warm almond ice cream." Lalitha drank the entire glass of kesar badam and reached for the sliver flask to pour more of its contents into her empty glass. Will saw the subtle change in Lalitha's expressions and posture after drinking the creamy liquid. He noted that her shoulders and hand were visibly relaxed and she was smiling more and giggling about the wonderful taste of the kesar badam. Will wondered what was really in that beverage? It appeared to Will that the beverage contained more that sweet almond milk and he would bet that the beverage contained some type of common poppy seed opiate.

The poppy seed was very common in India, and, its use in foods and beverages was very popular. Will wondered if it was common practice for the kesar badam beverage to be laced with opiate to help the bride relax and attain a euphoric state for the wedding night. Well it sure was putting Lalitha into a euphoric state and she was laughing bit too much. Clearly the potency of the beverage had a stronger effect on Lalitha than expected. Lalitha started to rise from her chair and commented that she was quite sleepy and would lay on the couch in the living room. Her movements were not steady, which alarmed Will, because there was a strong likelihood of Lalitha falling on the way to the living room or falling down into the sunken living room.

Will quickly rose from his chair and went to assist her and said to her, "Lalitha, why don't you lie on the bed in the bedroom rather than the living. If you want to sleep, you don't have to move." Will put his arm around Lalitha's shoulders and guided her towards the bedroom. Lalitha seemed to get groggier with each step and leaning more heavily on Will. Before they could reach the bedroom entrance, Lalitha had closed her eyes and began to slip downward towards the floor. Will immediately caught her in his arms, and putting one arm under her knees, he carried her to the bedroom and gently laid her on top of the luxurious quilt upon the bed. Will watched Lalitha as she turned onto her side and curled her knees closer to her body as her breathing deepened. Will had anticipated that his wedding night would be unusual, and he had hoped that he and Lalitha could have spent time talking.

However, more than anything else that had happened today, Will was just happy to have the right to be in the life of this unusually beautiful, intelligent, kind, provocative, and sometimes stubborn woman, who was now his wife. There was plenty of time in their lives to experience marital intimacies. Will wanted more than anything to get to know Lalitha, especially the private Lalitha, who not everyone got the privilege of knowing. Will bent down and gently kissed his wife's forehead and then covered her with the quilt that was covering the bed.

Will returned to the dining room, and looking at all the delicious food spread on the table felt, he began to feel quite hungry. He also had not eaten anything since the wedding ceremony, which had taken place quite early in the morning, and it was now 5 pm in the evening. Will picked up the Indian food items, that he could recognize, and began eating with a sense of profound joy, contentment, and peace.


End file.
